Floor construction for refrigerator-cars.



J. STRAIN. FLOOR CONSTRUCTION FOE REFRIGERATOR CARS. APPLIOATION FILED N0v.17, 1908.

928,406.. Pa tented July 20, 1909.

2 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

Shwanl'oz Jbfin. 67 1741)! Witness J. STRAIN.

FLOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS.

APPLICATION TIL'ED NOV,.17, 1908.

' Patented July 20, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 UNITE STATES PATENT ()fhllilllfllil.

JOHN STRAIN, OF CHICAGO, lLLlNO lS.

rLooR consrnucrron non REFRIGERATOR-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1909.

Application filed November 17, 1908. Serial No. 463,111.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JOHN STRAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of (look and Slate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful 1m proveinents in Floor Construction for Befrigerator-(Jars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in refrigerator cars, HJI'ObjGClZ of the invention being to provide an improved slatted floor made up in sections, sons to enable the floor to be folded against theends of the compartment, and the hinges will permit the floor to be hinged in none but the correct manner, preventing damage and injury through the stupidity of employees.

' With these and other objectsin view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the, accompanying drawings Figure l, is a fragmentary View partly in horizontal section, and partly in plan illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2, is a view in longitudinal vertical section showing in full lines the floor in normal position, and in dotted lines partly folded. Fig. 3, is a view in vertical section illustrating the floor folded, and Figs. 4 and 5, are detailed plan and erspective views illustrating one of the lingo connections.

1 represents the side of arefrigerator car, and 2 a fixed slat secured in one end of the car just above the solid floor thereof.

3, 4 and 5 illustrate three sections of my improved slattc floor.

It ii: to be understood that Fig, 1 illustrates .ess' than one fourth of a floor in which there are preferably six sections, and are of a Width to extend practically from side to side of the compartment, and when the several sections are down upon the permanent floor 6, they will cover the entire length of the compartment.

All of the sections are made up of a series of longitudinal stringers 7 upon which the transverse slats 8 are secured as shown. The

'strin ers 7 of section 3 are n'ovided at their and 5 is best illustrated in lii s. at and 5.

Ordinary leaf hinges 121 are secured upon the slats at the adjacent ends of sections 3 and l, to hinge said sect-ions together, and as the stringers T of these sections b and ei abut when the sections are down upon the car floor, it will be seen that section s; can only beswung in one direction and that first upward and then down The hinged connection between sections Ii stringers 7 of these sections and 5 in alineinent as clearly shown in Fig the ends of the stringers overlap ant provided with reinforcing metal castings i. and 14 respectively secured to the respective stringers. 'lhese castings and the stringers are made with openings 15 to receive pivot bolts 16 secured in place by nuts ii. The castings 13 on the stringers of section are made with raised shoulders 18 to be engaged by raised shoulders 19 on the castings i i of the stringers of section 5 and limit the hinged movement of the sections as will be clearly seen. By this construction and arrangement of parts, it will be seen that the section 5 cannot be swung upward with the bolts 16 as the pivots, as the shoulders 18 and 19 Will absolutely prevent such movement, hence to folo the platform it is necessary to lift or elevate the hinged connections of sections 4 and 5 as shown in dotted lines in l ig. 2, and as the s ringers of these sections l and 5 are not in aliucment, the sections can he folded flatly together with their stringers parallel, and both sections are then fl 7 l down upon section 3, then all three seclioifls are folded up against the end of the compartment .With thebolts ll acting as pivots,

upon the section and be supported in this position out of the.

Way as clearly shown in l ig. 3.

As seen in lfig. 2, 20 illustrates an ice sup porting platform, and 21 a drip pan below the sine. 22 illustrates an end wall of the refrigerating compartment separating the same from the ice compartment, and having an opening in its lower free circulation of cold air from the ice compartment to the refrigerating compartment,

and a slat work partition 23 normally holds the ice away from the wall 22, and the lower cross timber 2-1 of this partition 23 is round; ed on "its upper edge as clearly shown to direct any dripping on the one face 0.. the

wall 22 into the drip pan 21 below. A cross 1.

end extending throughout the-width of the car to permit of such Width as to project within the re irigerating compartment, so as to catch any drip from the inner face of the wall 22, and

the upper face of this timber is inclined toward thedrip pan and covered-with a protecting metal covering any'drip from the inside of the wall 22 will be directed thereby into the drip pan.

Slight changes might be madein the generai form and arrangement of parts described without de arting from my invention, and hence I 0 not restrict myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at libert to make such changes and alterations as airly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I

-I-Iaving thus described myinvention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let- Patent is: I

1. In a refrigerator' car, the combination with a fixed'support, of a series of slatted floor sections, each comprisin longitudinal stringers and transverse slats t ereon, hinges connecting the floor sections, said hinges so constructed as to compel the floor sections to be folded with the slats'of two adjacent sections against each other, and the slats of two 1 adjacent sections away from each other.

r 2. In a refrigerator car, the combination with a support, of a floor section hinged to said support and adapted to swing upward to'a vertical position, an intermediate floor section, hinges connecting said sections to compel the intermediate section to. fold downward upon the top ofthe first menrtioned section, an end section, hinges connecting said intermediate and end sections and constructed so as to compel the under faces of 'the end and intermediate sections to fold against each other. s a J 3. In a refrigerator car, the combination with a support, of a series of sections hinged together and constructed to be folded to a vertical position against the ends of the compartment I a v In testimony whereof Ihave. signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

} v JOHN STRAIN.

Witnesses HELEN F. Linus? JANET E. HOGAN. 

